The global food crisis is bad news for everyone. Have you noticed a hike in your grocery bill? Have you been thinking twice about going out to dinner? Belt tightening seems inevitable.

But what if the food crisis meant going without health care? Or that you had to take your children out of school and send them out to work or beg? These are the impossible choices now faced by families in many countries in Africa, the Middle East and around the world. What if your problems went beyond poverty? What if you were living with the legacy of conflict or the AIDS epidemic or both – how would you cope then?

In Ethiopia, the price of food has gone up 75% in the last six months. For families in North America, this would have a devastating effect. But in Ethiopia, for children who have lost their parents to AIDS, the situation is desperate.

War Child Canada is working with child-headed families in Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa. These families are faced with the unique circumstance of having lost both parents to the AIDS epidemic. Young adults struggle with the burden of caring for their even younger siblings. We provide them with skills training and help them set up small business. And we support them and their families during this training with health care provision, psychosocial support and, vitally, food. As a result, these households have been able to support themselves and the younger siblings are back in school. But now those families are facing a crisis and so is our program. And it is all because of the food crisis.

The budget for our work in Ethiopia is, inevitably, limited. We currently support a certain number of the most vulnerable families with the funds available. But when one component of that budget suddenly suffers 75% inflation, we have to make stark choices. And the choice is to cut food support or cut the number of families we can support. This is something we never want to face.

The increase in prices means that it costs us $2.50 a week more to provide food for a family of five children. That’s just $10 a month. Setting up a monthly donation is easy. Just click here and fill in your details. In doing so, you will know that you have covered that shortfall. You will know that, by this simple display of empathy you will have enabled us to support another family in crisis. And you will know that those children you are providing for will face a future of hope and dignity, rather than one of peril and fear.

SOURCE: War Child Canada